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SMS:- Hi Lex, I am 22 and I finished my STPM. I want to be a lawyer but I can’t afford the fees and I can’t quit my job cos I am the family breadwinner after my dad passed away. Everytime I see my friends going off to K.L. or overseas to study it really breaks my heart cos I scored better than them and I worked much harder. Is there a way out from a job and a life that doesn’t do me justice?
BOH SAN
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Well Boh San, there is a way out to get a law degree and then try to complete your professional law exams even without leaving Kota Kinabalu International Airport. Its by studying for the external law degree with the University of London.
Q: Why study law with the University of London?
In the words of University of London supremo Dr. Wayne Morrison, “ You may have your own special reason but certain general factors stand out. First, a law degree is now the usual entry requirement for those who wish to enter into the practice of law. In the common law world there are thousands of lawyers who have obtained their law degree by studying as an External student of the University of London. London University is proud of the pioneering and continuing role its provision for External students has played in widening access to legal education – upon graduation you will be joining a distinguished group. There are two great secular legal traditions in the world: the civil law and the common law. Lawyers– solicitors, barristers, judges – have to be immensely skilful in the interpretation of cases and the principles embedded in them. Paying attention to detail, absorbing a mass of factual and legal information, presenting your client’s position in the best legal light, developing favourable arguments and interrogating counter-arguments are central to legal practice;
Studying law instils these skills and legal research methods. There are strong reasons to study law with the University of London irrespective of whether you wish to practise. You may want a qualification to help you gain promotion in your current employment, change career or simply because it offers academic stimulation and challenge. Or perhaps you wish to fulfil an ambition you previously had to postpone. A legal qualification can also lead to many other careers. Some are obviously law-related (police, magistrates’ courts clerks, paralegals, social work) and, for many key positions in the world of finance and business, law degrees are also valued very highly. This is not only because of the legal knowledge and understanding that you will command but also because of the analytical abilities, mental dexterity, and other transferrable skills that come with the study of law. Embarking on External study is a challenging enterprise. You will need self-discipline and courage and you will need to think carefully about what is involved in finding the time and the space to study systematically. But we provide many ways of supporting you in your studies through printed, CD-ROM and online materials. One of the first tasks of a law student is to learn the language and concepts of the law. Learning how to understand and use legal discourse is crucial for success. This demands precise attention to the nuances of language and an awareness of the importance not just of what is said, but of how it is said and, particularly, of what is left unsaid. “
Q:- Is there any distinction between an internal or external degree from the University of London?
A:- Basically no. According to the University of London the prestige of the University of London undergraduate Laws programmes depend upon the fact that External students are judged by the same high standards as the University’s campus-based students. That is why the Laws programmes are not offered on a modular basis in which credits can be accumulated piecemeal. For the same reason, examinations are marked to the same high standards of academic rigour applied to campus-based students.
Q:- What is the advantage of University of London LLB Degree?
A:- For a start you can undertake flexible study that suits your particular circumstances. The programmes offer you an alternative way of obtaining a prestigious degree or other award at a reasonable cost. You can choose to study independently, working on your own, or you may prefer to study in a small group with a tutor or by correspondence. You receive specially produced study materials The cost of your study materials is included in your initial and continuing registration fees. The materials are specially produced for self-directed learning by University of London academics. The study materials will guide you through the prescribed textbooks and other reading, which will be the real focus of your studies. The fees may not be cheap but because you don’t have to leave Sabah and your job, but you should be able to manage to raise the money one way or another.
Q:- How do I get the degree once I have prepared and studied for it?
A:- When you decide you are ready, you will enter for unseen written examinations at each of the appropriate stages. These are marked by University-approved academics to ensure your work is assessed to the same standard as College-based students of the University. Examinations are held in May/June at local centres You will sit one three-hour unseen written paper for each subject you study.
TESTIMONIES
Perhaps one way to help you make up your mind is to hear testimonies by people who have actually undertaken the London University LLB from around the world.
Susan Hughes, a Canadian LLB External Student
“ For me, the greatest attraction of the London LLB is that it is a highly ranked degree internationally and judged by the same standards as the full-time programme. Reading law has changed the way I reason and interpret situations, making me sharper, more analytical and a more precise speaker and writer. The flexibility of the programme, working at your own speed, deciding when to sit exams, makes it ideal for the working person who “cannot attend university on a full-time basis. “
Su Ann Kok, LLB Graduate, Malaysia
“Studying at a distance meant that I had to be focused all the time and this requires a lot of determination and perseverance. However, the support of my family – both emotionally and financially – a good study environment and some healthy competition posed by several close friends proved to be an impetus for me to do well. Love for the subject will carry a student embarking on the External System far, and makes the study less of a chore. If you combine an interest in the subject with hard work, the results could not be any more gratifying. “
Gisela Stuart, Member of Parliament & LLB Graduate
“I came to England when I was 18 years old to work in publishing, which I gave up when my children were born.
During those years of domesticity I continued translating books from English into German. However, I was acutely aware that I was not using my intellectual capacity in a very constructive way. Feeling that my brain cells needed to be ‘kick-started’ I paid a visit to a nearby college and saw that they offered the University of London LLB degree for External students. I was warned that the London degree was demanding and that they recommended it only for their best students. However, in return for the hard work students obtain a high quality degree from an internationally recognised university. I decided to enrol.
The next three years stretched me physically, psychologically and intellectually like never before. Studying, revising, looking after a family and staying sane is no easy task! I was lucky; I had a tolerant and supportive spouse, children who respond to a flexible routine, and the stamina and determination needed of success. I was thrilled when I actually completed the degree: the presentation ceremony at the Barbican Centre was one of the most moving and magnificent experiences of my life. I am now MP for Birmingham Edgbaston. This is due in no small part to the skills I acquired as an External student at the University of London. “
LLB PROGRAMME STRUCTURES
Scheme A (12 subjects)
This is the degree in its traditional format. It is divided into three Parts of 4 subjects per part totaling 12 subjects in all eight of which are compulsory and 4 are optional..
Scheme B (12 subjects)
This scheme is intended for students who wish, or need, to study at a more measured pace. Instead of 3 parts, the 12 subjects are taken over four parts.
THE 8 COMPULSORY SUBJECTS
(1) CRIMINAL LAW
This examines the general principles of criminal liability, a range of fatal and non-fatal offences against the person, and selected offences against property as well as the available defences. Where conduct is criminalised, it is subject to punishment and thus engages with broad issues of morality. This is a highly developed body of precisely formulated legal rules. Understanding how the tension between social adaptation and certainty affects the development of criminal law and will take students beyond the basic stage of grasping the substantive rules.
(2) PUBLIC LAW
The UK constitution is famously ‘unwritten’ and thus contrasts with other constitutional models. Analysing key issues of sovereignty and the division of powers between legislature, executive and administration, one key question is how far the UK lives up to classic doctrine. Equally, membership of the European Union, and the Human Rights Act 1998, affect the overall picture of the relation between citizen and the state. To fully engage with this subject, students need to take an interest in current affairs and debates about what is involved in constitutional issues and reforms.
(3) COMMON LAW REASONING AND INSTITUTIONS
This comprehensive introduction to the English legal system seeks to convey what is distinctive about the common law approach as a legal methodology and as it reflects the history and politics of England & Wales. It examines the sources of law, the civil and criminal court structure, and the role of judges and judicial reasoning. Special attention is paid to the law’s claims to fairness, examining the rules protecting accused persons in the criminal system and access to legal remedies in the civil system, as well as courts of appeal. The course seeks to familiarise students not only with how the system operates but why.
(4) ELEMENTS OF THE LAW OF CONTRACT
Contracts are the legal basis of all commercial transactions. Covering the core topics – including formation of contracts, capacity to contract and privity, performance and breach of contract and remedies for breach of contract – the emphasis is on understanding the key underlying principles of English law. This is very much a case law subject, with judicial precedents stretching back nearly 400 years in some instances (but more usually of 19th– and 20th–century origin) and a small number of statutory provisions, as well as the impact of EU law. An understanding of what factors judges may, or must, take into account when exercising their discretion is crucial.
(5) LAW OF TORT
The law of tort concerns the civil liability for the wrongful infliction of injury by one person upon another. The characteristic claim in tort is for monetary compensation or damages. There is no single principle of liability, which makes tort law complex; also there are other sources of monetary compensation for personal injuries (such as unemployment/social security payments, private insurance, criminal injuries compensation schemes, etc.) as well as the fact that the same harms may be pursued through the criminal justice system.
Negligence is a key topic and other topics include: interference with economic interest; trespass; defamation; vicarious liability as well as defences and remedies, and sources of future development including EU law.
(6) LAW OF TRUSTS
A part of Equity law, the law of trusts deals with the rules and principles governing the creation and operation of trusts – a particular method of holding property that developed historically primarily to preserve family wealth, particularly by minimising liability to taxation. The syllabus focuses on three broad areas: 1) the requirements for establishing a valid trust (including express private trusts; charitable trusts; implied and resulting trusts; constructive trusts); 2) the powers and obligations of trustees under a valid trust (including appointment, retirement and removal of trustees); 3) the remedies available when trustees act improperly.
(7) LAND LAW
Much of the work of solicitors turns around land law in the form of conveyancing (buying and selling dwellings or commercial enterprises) or the relations between landlords and tenants. Here the central principles of English law are portrayed, including the necessary historical context, as many of the basic concepts were established in social conditions very different from today. Land law centres on the concept of the nature and quantum of the various interests that can exist in land, the principles governing the creation, transfer and extinction of these interests and the extent that those interests are enforceable against third parties.
(8) JURISPRUDENCE AND LEGAL
THEORY COMPULSORY)
Jurisprudence poses the fundamental questions about the nature of law, its place in society and how a legal system operates as a system of rules and as a social institution engaging with ideals of justice and often conflicting moral codes. While covering the key developments in classic and contemporary legal theory, from natural law through legal positivism, Marxism, critical legal studies (including critical race theory) and feminist jurisprudence, and engaging with issues about judicial decision-making that connect critically with substantive law subjects, ultimately this is a subject in which there are no authorities and no final court of appeal: the reader/the student must be the judge. This makes it a difficult subject, but also a rewarding one.
OPTIONAL SUBJECTS (CHOOSE 4 of the following)
(1) Administrative law
(2) Commercial law
(3) Company law
(4) Criminology
(5) EU law
(6) Evidence
(7) Family law
(8) History of English law
(9) International protection of human rights
(10) Introduction to Islamic law
(11) Labour law
(12) Public international law
(13) Conflict of laws
(14) Intellectual property
(15) Succession
THE KK SUNDAY LAW LECTURES
For those who study law externally or for those who just want to acquire legal knowledge for pleasure, work or ay reason whasoever you can join the SUNDAY LAW LECTURES, held every Sunday starting in February.
Conducted over a period of 4 years lecture topics will have the following areas of law:-
2007:- Criminal Law, Contract Law and Legal System
2008:- Constitutional Law, Trusts and Land Law
2009:- Jurisprudence, Torts and Company Law
2010:- Civil Procedure, Criminal Procedure and Evidence
The program is organized on a flexi-basis. You only attend the subjects or areas that interest you. You can join the lectures at any stage and leave or rejoin subsequently based on your personal personal workloads or commitment in life.
Talks Schedule for February, March & April 2007
11/2/2007:- Self Study of Law
25/2/2007:- ACTUS REUS:- The Criminal Act in Crimal Law
4/3/2007:- Contract: Creation of a Contract – “In the Beginning”
11/3/2007:- Legal System: How Law is made
15/3/2007:- MENS REA:- The Criminal Mind in Criminal Law
1/4/2007:- Contract Law:- Making the Offer, The First Step
15/4/2007:- Legal System : The Interpretation of Legal Law & Legal Speak
22/4/2007: Contract:-Consideration, There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch
For further information:-
Call/sms :- 0198220778
Fax: 088-388087
E-mail:- marceljude@msn.com
Friday, June 22, 2007
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